Nia & Eric
Wedding Party
Michelle
Maid of Honor
This beautiful lady is my ride-or-die. She is smart, funny, witty and opinionated. I met her at CUNY Queens College and we've been besties ever since. We can chat about our geeky obsessions like Harry Potter, Disney and Dr. Who for hours! She is a great listener and always has the perfect sassy quip. I love our long phone conversations and best friend dates. One day when I grow up I'm going to have as much charisma as she does. I can just be myself around her without any expectations and count on her for anything; a true blue friend.
Christopher
Best Man
Twenty-five years, still best friends and so many memories, some I am afraid will be shared at the reception. The Starks have become another family to me. We played in middle and high school orchestra together and drove our teacher absolutely nuts. She couldn't do much about it though because deep down she loved us. The only real mistake he has made was prank ordering pizza delivery to my parents house when we were young. My dad wasn't amused and brought the pizza to the Starks house for him to reimburse him immediately!
Reshma
Bridesmaid
I remember looking up to Reshma when I was a little girl and I continue to admire her. I am really proud of who she is and even more proud to call her my family. She is bright, poised, accomplished and very sweet. I love our text convos during guilty pleasure shows and our foodie outings when I visit from med school. She's been there for some of the hardest times of my life and I'm so happy she is going to be here for one of the best events of my life.
Donnell
Groomsman
If you asked me over 13 years ago if Donnell would have been a groomsman at my wedding, I would have thought you were crazy! As we worked on different teams at our company, we didn't really take the time to understand each other. Once I switched departments and worked with Donnell on the same team, everything changed. We started to see each other and understand where each of us was coming from. As time progressed, our friendship grew closer. I can say that Donnell has been there and continues to be there as a great friend. I am happy to have him as one of my groomsman!
Aziezah a.k.a Sarah
Bridesmaid
This lovely lady is my sister-in- law. She is brilliant, gorgeous and also has the dream job of many-- she is a Veterinarian! I always look forward to seeing all the cute puppies on her phone. I swear, sometimes I can just talk about "doctor talk" or med school stress and she gets it; that's not common for me. She knows all of the inside family jokes and has a few hilarious ones of her own; my favorites being the ones targeting Rajiv. Finally, a partner in crime! She is an amazing addition to our growing family.
Rajiv
Groomsman
Meet my future brother-in-law, but I would just call him my brother. When I first met Nia she would tell me that he is very particular about who he surrounds himself and his family with. Well, I defied the odds and fit right in with him, and we hit it off immediately! We both share a love for cars, specifically Mustangs. I will never forget that when I was in tougher times and in the middle of moving, Rajiv took me into his apartment to live with him for 10 weeks. We would work the challenging overnight schedule at separate jobs, and meet in his apartment after work in the morning and just play baseball on his PS3 for hours. I couldn't ask for a better brother to be joining families with.
Rajiv
Brother
This dude right here is the best brother ever. He is fun, silly and easy to be around. I use his EZ Pass, his Netflix account and order all the fries when he's buying; I'm the parasite little sister. My favorite memories with him are when would wash our cars together, play SNES games together and went to do his work, "New Yorker" magazine runs, in Manhattan on a Saturday night, reggae music blasting and speeding down Park Ave. The weekends we spent doing mundane things like grocery shopping were made fun by whacking each other on the leg with that ridiculously hard shelf-stable salami (who even buys that thing?) and teasing our friendly grocery bagger Ida. He is so much more than that though. He is the father figure I have now. We have endured enough together to have an unbreakable bond.
Francine
Mother of the Groom
Infamous and widely recognized worldwide for putting up with me, Eric, for 30+ years. Enough said! My mother is a great woman who is always there for me, especially growing up and ensuring I could get the extra shirt at the store when my dad would say no. When my mom moved to Florida almost 10 years ago I thought we would drift apart. Although we don't see each other as often, we still maintain a fun, loving relationship. I can always count on my mom to make me laugh at any time. I am so happy she is able to spend our special day with us!
Fazeena
Mother of the Bride
This beautiful, graceful, kind, patient woman is my Mother. I owe everything to her. I'm so honored to have her in my life and call her my Mom. She is the most nurturing person; a home body who is always excited to see me without fail. She carries herself with class and elegance. She makes my brother and I her first priority and that has never wavered. She lifts my spirits and is the most comforting voice when I'm at my worst. She has believed me even when I haven't believed in myself. From chaperoning school trips to supporting me in med school, she has always been invested in my life. There is no one else like her on this planet. My Mom is my role model for spirit, strength and resilience and I love her more than I can say. If I'm lucky, I'll be half the woman she is.
Michael
Father of the Groom
Father, Man, Coach and Mentor, my dad is always there for me, for good times and bad. Growing up my friends would always ask if my dad was home because they wanted to misbehave if he wasn't. Once we reached our late teen years my friends would ask if my dad was home because they wanted to hang out with him more than me! He was always one of "the boys" but knew how to distinguish himself as the man in charge if things seemed like they may get out of hand. To this very day my dad and I can always start every conversation off with a joke, no matter what kind of day we are having. He is the only person I know in my life that I can call at any given time of day or night to play catch and he will say yes!
Whiskey
Cat
This is Whiskey. He's a good boy and belongs on the cover of GQ. He'll be holding down the fort while we party.